


First Night

by enkelimagnus



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, First Candle, Gen, Hanukkah, Memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:48:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21907747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enkelimagnus/pseuds/enkelimagnus
Summary: Simon stares at the candles on his menorah, and remembers another first night of Hanukkah, a long time ago.
Relationships: Bubbe Helen & Simon Lewis, Lewis Family - Relationship, Rebecca Lewis & Simon Lewis, Simon Lewis/Isabelle Lightwood
Comments: 6
Kudos: 14





	First Night

**Author's Note:**

> This is very much inspired by my own love and experience. And Bubbe Helen, Simon and Rebecca are my grandma, me and my brother ;)
> 
> Chag Chanukkah Sameach!!

The light of the two candles lit on his menorah flicker, and Simon can’t help but stare at them. They have been lit for half an hour, and he thinks he’s spent half an hour staring at them, already. It’s a warm light, the light that he hasn’t felt in a long time. 

Izzy is out, working, and it’s his first Hanukkah without his family. Rebecca told him she wanted to stay with him, but Mom and Bubbe Helen think he’s dead, and she doesn’t want to pretend she has better to do than take a day or two to visit them. 

_ It’s easier to get vacation days at the end of December, Rebecca. Goyim think we do Christmas.  _

It’s the voice of Simon’s dad that resound in his head and he feels sad again. He’s alone, right now. He can’t imagine what Bubbe and Mom must feel like. He remembers when his dad died and he found himself with his mom, his grandma and Rebecca, just the four of them in front of the menorah. Now, it’s just the three of them. 

He wishes he could be there. He was glad he could break fast with them at Yom Kippur, at least, do that last important holidays with them. Bubbe Helen coming from Florida to surprise them had been for the best. He’d been able to say goodbye to her, to the grandma that fed him latkes with too much sour cream and made sure he always did his homework right. Hanukkah with his grandma was always fun.

_ Winter break at school has just started and all of his gentile friends except for Clary are going to their families for Christmas. Simon is going to Florida for Hanukkah.  _

_ Cartoons have been watched, the park has been walked through, and they have sat around the kitchen table with books of grammar and orthography in front of them, Bubbe Helen walking them through the exercises and always finishing with a dictation exercise. Those dictations are always harder than the ones they do at school at both Rebecca’s and Simon’s levels. Though they kinda hate them, they are glad Bubbe Helen made them do it. It ensures them good grades. _

_ The kitchen is big, but Bubbe, Rebecca and Simon gather around the menorah. It’s almost 5pm, and the sun is setting fast. Bubbe Helen is struggling to find kippot for everyone, so she grabs some clean dishcloths, fold them into squares and puts them on top of Rebecca and Simon’s heads.  _

_ “Who wants to read?”  _

_ Simon, as always, asks for permission. He loves doing it. He loves the words and the way it sounds on his tongue. It’s a bit hard sometimes, because he wasn’t raised speaking it as often as everyone would have wanted, his mouth is more used to English sounds than Hebrew, but he does it anyway.  _

_ It’s a warm language, and the match he holds to the shamash candle makes the tips of his fingers warm too.  _

_ “Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu l'hadlik ner Hanukkah,” Simon speaks, as firmly as he can, as the shamash candle takes aflame.  _

_ Rebecca takes the candle from its stand and light the first of the menorah candles, on the farthest from the center, on the right side.  _

_ “Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, she'asa nisim la'avoteinu ba'yamim ha'heim ba'z'man ha'ze,” Simon speaks out as the candle is lit.  _

_ Bubbe Helen nods. “Good job, Simon,” she praised. “Now, do you wanna do Hanerot Halalu?”  _

_ Simon nods as well, and holds the booklet in his hand, focusing on the flickering flames and the warmth in his heart.  _

_ Hanerot halalu anachnu madlikin  _

_ Al hanissim ve'al haniflaot  _

_ Al hatshu-ot ve'al hamilchamot  _

_ She-asita la'avoteynu  _

_ Bayamim hahem, bazman hazeh _

_ Al yedey kohanecha hakdoshim.  _

_ Vechol shmonat yemey Chanukah _

_ Hanerot halalu kodesh hem,  _

_ Ve-ein lanu reshut lehishtamesh bahem  _

_ Ela lirotam bilvad _

_ Kedai lehodot leshimcha _

_ Al nissecha veal nifleotecha ve-al yeshuotecha.  _

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed this!
> 
> Shoot me an ask or a DM on my tumblr @enkelimagnus, or reach me on my Twitter @enkelimagnus!  
> I have anons on and curiouscat so don't be shy!


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